Combined floor and cove covering



Oct. 18, 1932. w ..J. ToMPKlNs 1,883,117

COMBINED FLOOR AND COVE COVERING Filed Deo. 6. 1929 Patented Oct. 18, 1932 Par-Enr for Fie-cil:

WILLIAM J'. TOMPKINS, OF lVOUN'1 VERNON, 'NEVJ YORK7 ASSIGNOR TO \WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORAIION 'OFiNEW YORK COMBINED nFIOCR AND COVE COVERING Application filed December 6, 1929.

This invention relates to covering means, the invention beinginore particularly related toa combined llcorand cove covering.

The invention has for its general object the provision of a sheet of material adapted `to coverthe floor or a porton thereof, the

side `wall which meets thev floor, a, d as well the angle or corner between the fioor and the sidewall. Its object .is to furnish a simple, practical, eilicient and sanitary covering of the character referred to, and one which can be quickly :applied and removed, and which, when applied, will maintain itself in Jdie desired position ofuse and be neat and attractive in appearance.

VOne of the objects` of theinveiition is to provide a combined iioor and cove covering which may be produced for use in relatively small places, such, for instance, as in telephone bootlis, and which, for relatively large spaces or rooms, may be produced in the forni of a border strip adapted to be placed upon tli'e floor along the angle and side wall to Vbe covered thereby.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention resides in the combined floor and cove covering, and in the construction and relative arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claim.

The invention will be best understood. by referring to the accompanying drawing, forming a material part of this specilication, and in which:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary perspective view and section, illustrating the article as it appears when applied in a telephone booth, fractionally shown;

Fig. la represents a` fragmentary detail sectional view, showing one form of ,the `rroove which may be produced in the covering;

Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the covering;

Serial No. 412,085.

Fig. Brepresentsa perspective view and section showing a covering in the form of a border strip or runner'for a relativelylarge l is a. detail of the form of covering in Fig. 3; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail sectionalviews showing various forms of grooves which may Vbe produced in the covering.

Referring with more particularity to the accompanying drawing, and iirst'to the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the combined floor and cove covering denoted Vgenerically bythe numeral 10 is disclosed .as comprising a niain `part 11 adapted to be placed flat upon the floor 12 of the erection or booth 13, fractionallyY shown. With the mainfpart 11 are formedauxiliary parts 14,

I 15 and '1G-which are adapted to be turned upright in yangular relation `to the main part -so asto fit fiat againsttheadjacent lower portions of the side walls 17, 18, and 19,;respectively. In thus covering the loorv and the --adjacent lower portions of the side walls, the

vertex oftheinside angle or groove'20 along the.` floor is also covered, and aswell the 'vertical angle/21 formed between the side wall 15 at the back of the structure andeach :of the sidewalls 14 and 16 located at the opposite ends of the structure.

The covering, according to an important Yfeature thereof, is'provided Aalong the bendlingfor folding line E22 between the main part `and each of theauXiliary parts, with a groove 23. In the illustra-ted embodiment of' the invention shown in Figs. 1, 1ct and 2, the grooves are provided in the underside of the covering. From the provision of these grooves it results that the bending linesor `Zones are relatively thin opposite to andy parallel with the vertenes of the angles 2'wheie the side walls nieet the iioor 12. In the present instance, as best shown in Fig. 1a, groove 23 is disclosed asof V-shaped form with one sidewall 24 of, greater lengthzthan `the oppo# site side wall 25. By making the groove in this manner, the sides 24 and 25 assume approximately a straight surface opposite the vertex of the angle, when the auxiliary part is turned upwardly to lit flat against the side wall. In order to be easily and properly iitted in the vertical angles 21, the covering` is produced with open corners 26 between the auxiliary part 15 and the auX- iliary parts 14 and 16. Under this provision, when the covering is inserted in the booth as shown in Fig. 1 with the auxiliary parts turned upwardly against the inside faces of the side walls, the face of the auxiliary part 15, is engaged by the ends of the auxiliary parts 14 and 16, Completely closing the open corners 26 and eeotively covering the Vertical angles 21 within the booth.

The covering of the present invention is preferably produced from rubber, although it can be produced from any material commonly employed in the production of floor coverings, such, for instance, as linoleum and oilcloth. In order to reinforce the covering along the relatively thin bending lines, it is desirable to embed within the material of t-he relatively thin lines'suitable reinforcing` stripsy as 27, which, as clearly shown in the drawing, connect the auxiliary parts with the main part. Where the covering is produced from rubber, as illustrated in the drawing, the reinforcing strips 27 preferably consist of textile material. The device of the present invention is sanitary in use, facilitating lquick scrubbing or cleaning of the floor of the booth as by means of a mop or the like. Manifestly the covering prevents dirt from accumulating in the corners along the iioor; and where the covering is made of rubber or any suitable iireproofing composition, the usual lire hazard, always present in public places where cigarettes and matches are cast to the floor, is greatly reduced. Owing to the relatively thin bending lines resultingfrom the provision of the grooves, the auxiliary parts tend to lit iiat against the inside surfaces of the side walls when the main f part has been established ilat upon the floor.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs.Y 3 and 4, the covering is shown as produced in the form of a border intended especially for use in connection with relatively large rooms; the covering in this instance being produced with a main part28 and an auxiliary part 29 adapted to be turned upwardly along the bending line 30, which, as in the previous instance, is made relatively thin because of the provision of the groove 31. Along the bending line a suitable reinforcing strip 32 is incorporated in the covering to connect the auxiliary part 29 with the main part 28. In use, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the main part 28 is placed upon the iloor 33 adjoining the side wall 34, so that the auxiliary part 29 will it 55 against said side wall and with the relatively thin bending line covering the vertex of the angle 35.

As illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the covering may be produced with various forms of grooves. Thus, in Fig. 4, the groove 36 is of concave form, while in Fig. 5, the groove 37, although of V -shaped form, has its converging side walls 37 slightly spaced apart at the underface of the covering, so that the groove in thisinstance has the general character of a slit extending inwardly into the material. The groove 38, illustrated in Fig. 6, is of concave form, but it will be noted that in this instance the groove is formed in the upper side of the covering.

While I have herein disclosed several desirable and practical embodiments of my invention, it is, nevertheless, to be understood that the invention might also be incorporated in various other alternative structures, and I accordingly reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly incorporated within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim A telephone booth floor covering constructed of a single layer of rubber comprising a floor section and border sections, kerfs limiting the boundaries of said sections and arranged to permit the covering to lit the intersections formed by the floor section and the border sections, and reenforcing strips embedded in the covering adjacent the kerfs.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

WILLIAM J. TOMPKINS. 

